- Biography
- Professional Associations
- Honors And Awards
- Pro-Bono Activities
- Published Works
- Classes And Seminars
Biography
Begin the Begin - Once you begin you are closer to the end than had you not begun at all. With that statement, Catherine F. Schott Murray appreciates that every client's situation is unique and requires solutions that are adapted to their particular needs, goals, and objectives once the planning process has begun. She takes the time to carefully listen to her clients and discuss decisions that are not always straightforward, ultimately reaching an appropriate resolution that is pertinent to each client. Catherine is professional, yet compassionate, while carefully explaining complex matters during potentially trying times.
Catherine's practice focuses on trust and estate planning as well as business planning. She advises clients with respect to the creation and implementation of simple and complex estate plans, including incapacity planning; elder law; guardianships and conservatorships; special needs trusts; health care decision making; estate and trust administration; probate administration; wealth preservation; asset protection; entity formation and maintenance, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax planning; charitable planning; irrevocable trusts; donor advised funds; private foundations; family limited partnerships; and limited liability companies.
Prior to joining the firm, Catherine assisted individuals with estate planning and Medicaid planning as well as represented lenders and closely held companies in commercial and financial transactions, commercial lease negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and collections.
Catherine has been an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Chapter (VAELA) of NAELA for more than a decade, including time spent as the organization's President.
Catherine gives back to the community through her involvement with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (CFNOVA) in which she has served on the Board of Directors, including as the Board Chair.
Outside of the office, Catherine volunteers her time with her children's school and enjoys roads trips with her family.
Professional Associations
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA), Board of Directors, 2010 – 2022
- Fairfax Bar Association
- Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA), Immediate Past President, 2019 – 2020
- Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA), President-Elect, 2017 – 2018
- Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA), President, 2018 – 2019
- Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA), Vice President, 2016 – 2017
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Board of Directors, 2016 to present, Chair, July 2021-June 2023 and Vice-Chair, 2019-2021
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Annual Gala – Steering
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Community Investment Fund – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Civic Leadership Committee – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Complete Count Committee, 2019-2020
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Immediate Past Chair (2021)
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Chair – Steering Committee (2020)
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Past Member
- Orange & Blue Advisory Council – Gettysburg College, Past Member
Honors And Awards
- AV Preeminent Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
- 2023, Arlington magazine’s Top Attorneys — Tax
- 2022 - 2023, Washingtonian magazine's Top Financial Advisors
- 2022 - 2025, The Best Lawyers in America® – Elder Law/Trusts and Estates
- 2022, Northern Virginia magazine’s Top Lawyers (Trusts & Estates)
- 2021 - 2022, Arlington magazine's Top Attorneys -- Elder Law
- 2021 - 2022, Five Star Investment Professional
- 2019 - 2022, Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” – Elder Law
- Door Opener Society Membership – Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, 2017
- 2017, Chapter Member of the Year (VAELA)
- 2016, 2023, Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” – Taxes/Estates/Trusts/Elder Law
- 2014, Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” – Young Lawyer
Pro-Bono Activities
- Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, Sweet Home Virginia – Community Needs Gala, Steering Committee
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Board of Directors, 2016 to present
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Board of Directors, Chair, July 2021-June 2023
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Board of Directors, Vice-Chair, 2019-2021
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Annual Gala – Steering Committee – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Community Investment Fund – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Civic Leadership Committee – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Complete Count Committee, 2019-2020
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Immediate Past Chair (2021)
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Chair – Steering Committee (2020)
- Business Women’s Giving Circle, Member
- Orange & Blue Advisory Council – Gettysburg College – Past Member
- Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Shape of the Region – Aging in Northern Virginia (Moderator – March 23, 2023)
Published Works
- Mega Millions Winnings – Imagine The Possibilities! ( October 23, 2018 )
- “You Better Think” – Aretha Franklin Dies Without A Will ( August 29, 2018 )
- Back To School – Three Documents Every College Student Should Have ( July 18, 2018 )
- Estate Planning: Caveat Venditor vs. Caveat Emptor – Thorsen Case Highlights How Attorney and Client Must Beware ( June 30, 2016 )
- Estate Planning: Revised Elective Share Statute in Virginia ( June 23, 2016 )
- Failure to Update Existing Plan in Virginia: How Divorce Can Impact Your Estate Plan ( June 16, 2016 )
- Special Needs Children– How Divorce Can Impact Your Estate Plan ( June 9, 2016 )
- How Divorce Can Impact Your Estate Plan in Virginia – Real Estate and Personal Property ( June 2, 2016 )
- How Divorce Can Impact Your Estate Plan – Virginia Beneficiary Designations ( May 26, 2016 )
- How Divorce Can Impact Your Estate Plan ( May 19, 2016 )
- Estate Planning: Lesson from Sumner Redstone’s Competency Battle ( May 12, 2016 )
- May is National Elder Law Month ( May 5, 2016 )
- Prince Dies Without A Will; Special Administrator Appointed ( April 28, 2016 )
- Caring for Pets As Part of Your Estate Plan ( April 21, 2016 )
- National Healthcare Decisions Day – April 16 ( April 14, 2016 )
- New Department of Labor Rules May Impact Your Retirement Accounts ( April 7, 2016 )
- Alternative Living Solutions – “The Granny Pod” ( April 2, 2016 )
- ABLE Act – Additional Resource for Families and Advisors ( March 16, 2016 )
- Identity Theft and the IRS ( March 14, 2016 )
- Why Has Income Tax Planning Become a Bigger Part of Estate Planning? ( March 13, 2016 )
- New Rules for Basis Consistency ( March 12, 2016 )
- How to Evolve Your Plan When the Rules Keep Changing (Podcast – October 7, 2021)
- Navigating Private Philanthropy During a Pandemic (Webinar – July 15, 2020)
Classes And Seminars
- July 2020: Navigating Private Philanthropy During a Pandemic – Panelist
- November 2019: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How Are You Planning for the Future?, Trinity Presbyterian Church Congregational Care Forum
- March 2019: Grace Covenant Church Caregiver Forum – Panelist
- October 30, 2018: Don't Get Stuck on an Island , Incapacity Planning Webinar
- October 17, 2018: Why DIY Estate Planning is a Recipe for Disaster, VWG Wealth Management
- October 2018: Doing Well By Doing Good , Reston Chamber
- April 2018: “Legal Considerations for Your Home”, George Mason University Lifelong Learning Institute
- February 2018: “Estate Planning After Tax Reform”
- May 2017: “Legal Considerations for Your Home”, George Mason University Lifelong Learning Institute
- September 2016: “Why estate planning continues to matter.”, BB&T Seminar
Practice Areas
- Estate Planning
- Probate and Estate Administration
- Taxation
- Trust Administration
- Wills/Trusts
- Elder Law
- Guardianships/Conservatorships
- Business and Commercial Law
- Business Organizations
Education
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- J.D. - 2003
- Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
- LL.M. - 2009
- Major: Taxation
- Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- B.A. - 2000
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Major: Political Science and Spanish
Bar Admissions
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. Supreme Court
Fraternities or Sororities
- Phi Beta Kappa